


When the Unbendable is Cracking

by scrumptiousdefendorofaang



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29551743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrumptiousdefendorofaang/pseuds/scrumptiousdefendorofaang
Summary: I wanted Hakoda & Aang content, so I made it. It is what we deserve.
Relationships: Aang & Hakoda (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	When the Unbendable is Cracking

**Author's Note:**

> In the same world as my other fic. But you don't need to read it to understand this one.

Hakoda was watching the young Avatar across the room. They had finished with today’s meetings a while ago. But everyone had additional questions for the Avatar. Hakoda included. His question had to wait until after Aang was done answering the questions of the other officials. So he was waiting on the outskirts of the room waiting for a brief moment where Aang wasn’t talking to someone.

He wasn’t sure if he noticed the way Aang was faking his smile because he heard Katara talk about it or if it was obvious. He was guessing it had something to do with his daughter. He was pretty sure she had said Aang had a dimple in his cheek whenever he was truly smiling. He had noticed it ever since. And he noticed it’s absence, like now for example. 

Aang is over there smiling, laughing, and talking like he always did. At first glance he had thought Aang was fine but on closer inspection he realized that something was off. Especially after the day's meetings. Hakoda was feeling emotionally raw after today’s topic and the water tribes had only been briefly discussed. 

Today had been about the Air Nomads. As had the previous week they had been here. But today was harder, he thinks. The last week had just been information on the culture; all questions were mostly from an academic perspective and asked by the delegates from the Earth Kingdom. He wouldn’t have sent scholars to these meetings if he was the Earth King. Their questions were so prodding and bordering on insensitive. Aang as the sole representative of the Air Nomads had answered them all with a smile, less and less real as the days went on. His fake smile had made the permanent appearance yesterday and was firmly in place today as well it seemed.

But the questions of those meetings Hakoda would have trade for today’s. It had been brutal. The toll it took on Aang could be felt in the air, literally at times. The Fire Sages collected all information in the fire nation palace regarding the Air Nomads and presented it to Aang. They needed him to shift through the lies and illusions that had built in over 100 years of imperialism and anti air nomad redirect. 

Not everyone in the room was willing to expect what Aang said. They are so desperate to believe their war was just and desperate to cling to the lies they had been told all their lives. He had never seen Aang look so cold as he did today as he shut down each and every one of their arguments. It was almost scary. It made everyone in the room remember that Aang was the Avatar, an extremely powerful one too, and his power shouldn’t be forgotten easily. The crowd around him didn’t reflect what had happened earlier. A few smiles from Aang and everyone forgot. 

Speaking of the crowd around Aang, it was finally clearing. Now was his chance, he thought as he started to make his way over to Aang. Trying to get to him before Aang dragged Zuko off somewhere as he usually did after these meetings. He thinks they went flying on Appa, he had no idea why though. Zuko is not good at reading other people and Aang probably wasn’t bringing it up on his own. Airbender that he is, avoid and evade through and through. It seems impractical when they both have mountains of work to do.

“Chief Hakoda, sir,” Aang chirped, breaking him out of his thoughts. Aang seemingly floated the rest of the way to him. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to drop the titles,” he chuckled. 

“One more time, probably,” and there was his dimpled smile. Barely there but there none the less.

“I wanted to talk to you, Aang,” he said as he led the young man away and out into the hall. 

“Okay,” a pause as Aang glanced around, “It is nothing bad is it. Is it about Katara?” he asked practically in one breath. Hakoda shot him an amused look at the mention of Katara. But he can’t be too hard on Aang; he remembers what it was like to be in his shoes. 

“No, I just want to check in with you. I know these meetings aren’t easy. They haven’t been easy for me and I can only imagine how difficult they would be for you. I am just worried that’s all” he led them outside and to the turtle duck pond. He sat on a bench under a tree and gestured for Aang to join him.

“You don’t need to worry about me Chief Hakoda. I am completely fine,” Aang said after he sat and on all accounts it is perfectly believable. He even has a twinkle in his eyes. But the Dad part of Hakoda’s brain calls bullshit. 

“Okay. If you say so then I believe you,” he said and the tension in Aang's shoulders eased almost noticeably. Hakoda was guessing Aang just didn’t want to talk about it. But just in case Aang ever felt the need to talk, “If you ever aren’t okay I will always be here for you. And I am sure Katara and Sokka have said it before, but you are part of our family. You are not alone in this. You have the Southern water Tribe behind you as the avatar and you have our family behind  _ you _ ,” Aang went quiet at his words and could see the barest hint of tears before he looked down at his lap. 

“Thank you for saying that,” Aang whispered after a long moment. Hakoda wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Crushing him into a side hug. Aang hugged him back after a moment. 

“Now I can report back to Katara that you are mostly okay,” he jokes. 

“Did she ask you?” Aang looks slightly horrified. 

“In everything but direct words. She says she is very close to just coming here to see for herself.” he gives his daughter a week before she gets here. Two at most. 

“I told her I was fine,” he grumbled. 

“You also told me that and I am pretty sure we both know that isn’t true,” he says gently. Aang scowls at him half heartedly. “She is worried because she loves you, Aang,” he reminds him. Aang blushes and the dimpled smile makes an appearance again, fully formed this time. He is glad that the man Katara fell in love with is Aang. Anyone can tell that he loves her just as much as she loves him. It reminds him of how he was with Kya all those years ago. His train of thought is broken by a disgruntled fire lord holding Momo by the back of his neck. Momo seemed to be struggling to get to Aang. 

“Aang can you please take your lemur back. I can’t deal with him anymore,” 

“If you let him go he will come to me, Sifu Hotman,” Aang answers standing up and moving towards Zuko. “Goodbye Chief Hakoda,” Aang pauses and looks back at him mischief in his eyes as he adds, “sir,”. Then he started dragging Zuko away Momo in his arms. The look on Aang’s face reminds him of something but he is not quite sure what.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Feedback is welcomed.


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